Storked!So Tuesday evening at almost 6 pm I was sitting down to dinner when by friend David Hanson called. There was no mistaking the excitement in his voice. He went in to a explanation of where he was, a location I knew very well. In my mind I thought "he's about...

A Day at the BeachLate in the afternoon on Tuesday at post went out on the Texas Chase Birds group on Facebook that a pair of Elegant Terns had been found on North Padre Island just north of the Padre Island National Seashore. Unfortunately it was just too late in the day to...

The Guads Part 2John and I went to sleep about 11 pm with Mexican Whip-poor-wills calling sporadically. During the night we woke to a screaming sound echoing off the hillsides. It was loud. I thought to myself, "Hope it doesn't go for our packs in John's tent. I hope my te...

The Guads Part 1After hearing reports of Flammulated Owl in the Guadalupe Mountains the first week of June I hatched a plan to try for them. Things came up and I was unable to go until July 8, more than a month after the last report. John O'Brien was able to go with me and...

Que CARA CARAFerruginous Pygmy-Owl King Ranch Norias Division Headed south to the land of the Crested Caracara. First stop the always super productive King Ranch. I met Tom Langschied the Nature Tour Coordinator at the Norias Gate at 8 am after the 4 hour drive from Hou...

Hummer, Hummer, OwlLucifer Hummingbird After a windy night in Big Bend Rio Grande Village I woke to still and both Western Screech-Owls and Great Horned Owls calling. It didn't take me long to strike camp and get on the road. I headed to Carolyn Ohl's Christmas Mountain Oasis...

The BootMy original plan was to head for Big Bend National Park last week, but the Crown Mountain Fire closed the trails in the Chisos Mountains and access to one of the two species you must get in Big Bend National Park. In Texas Mexican Jay is only present the Ch...

The Best Laid PlansI was supposed to be chasing Colima Warbler in Big Bend, but the Crown Mountain Fire Sunday closed all of the trails to Boot Canyon and the Basin itself was closed. Stay flexible and make lemonade out of lemons. I headed for the Rio Grande Valley instead. ...

The Roof if TexasWestern Tanager The Bowl, I'll call it the Roof of Texas . All but one of the top 10 highest peaks in Texas are in the Guadalupe Mountains. When you reach the top of the Tejas Trail in Guadalupe Mountains National Park Park you are at 7900 feet and some cha...

el GalloLesser Prairie-Chickens on the Lek Long time followers of my Big Year have heard me speak of S.U.B., the Secret Underground Birders. Think of them as the Men in Black of birding. The members of S.U.B. often have access to information and birds regular birde...